State Officials Seek Public Comment On Canton's Ford Road Project

CANTON, MI — State officials want to hear concerns and comments from residents about plans to turn both directions of Ford Road, between Lotz and Sheldon roads in Canton into a boulevard.

The Michigan Department of Transportation will host a public meeting on April 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Summit on the Park in Canton to discuss the planned project.

The plan to turn the nearly 2.5 mile road stretch into a boulevard would eliminate left turns between Interstate 275 and Sheldon Road and add "Michigan left" crossovers in the hopes of easing traffic congestion. The U-turns would be especially easier for large trucks and emergency vehicles.

Traffic studies have shown that widening roads by eliminating left turn lanes eases traffic congestion and reduces crashes, something that has plagued the nearly 2.5 mile road stretch in Canton for years.

Ford Road between Canton Center and Lotz roads in Canton has notoriously been known as one of the most dangerous intersections in metro Detroit. From 2016 to 2019, there were 965 crashes, with 207 happening at the intersection of Ford and Lilley and Ford roads, according to data from the Transportation Improvement Association.